June 12, 2024

Access all of your automotive products and supplies directly through https://montanaoverdrive.com/

The FTC continues its deep dive into the automotive industry with its latest opening chess move in the Combating Auto Retail Scams Rule, simply known as the CARS Rule. The Rule is comprehensive and will fundamentally change the way dealers do business. In this article, I will briefly cover all of these topics to provide a better understanding of what is to come on the new regulations’ effective date.

In the fast-paced realm of the automotive business, staying ahead requires adaptation and foresight. Employee benefits are no different. Lily Tomlin’s wisdom, “The road to success is always under construction,” resonates with me as I partner with the Montana Automobile Dealers Association (MTADA) Group Benefits Trust to enhance dealership benefits. This philosophy underpins the efforts at the MTADA Group Benefits Trust, where we continuously strive to evolve and improve our offerings to better serve our partnering dealerships.

Great Northern Hotel Helena, MT August 15-18, 2024 Register Today!https://business.mtada.com/ap/Events/Register/VPN0j8yr Become a Sponsorhttps://montanaautomobiledealersassociationmtadamt.growthzoneapp.com/ap/Events/Register/VPN0j8yr?mode=Exhibitor Convention speakers, agenda and more info.https://www.mtada.com/110th-annual-convention/ Opening ReceptionLewis and Clark BreweryThursday, August 156:00-10:00 p.m.Everyone is welcome to join us. Come for a chance to dunk Bruce in a dunk tank! President’s DinnerSaturday, August 176:30-9:00 p.m.Theme: AmericanaDress code: Think 4th of July —

As we transition into a buyer’s market of automotive mergers and acquisitions, transparency and fairness are paramount. Brokers are entrusted with sensitive information and have a duty of care to conduct thorough market research, analyze potential risks and provide informed guidance to our dealers.

2024 brings one of the busiest election years Montana has seen in a while. Voters are set to weigh in on the races for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, governor, President of the United States and much more! We need every member of MTADA to vote to elect pro-dealer, pro-business candidates.

Supporting MONCAR, Montana Automobile Dealer’s Political Action Committee (PAC), is crucial in supporting the automotive industry and ensuring Montana’s voice is heard in public policy. As we’ve seen over the past few years, there are constant threats to our franchise system and our business. Whether it’s industry changes, manufacturer demands or economic influences, we face many challenges.

The 2024 NADA Show was held Feb. 1-4, 2024, in Las Vegas. MTADA was there for all of the excitement and was proud to honor Charles Notbohm as a TIME Dealer of the Year Nominee.

In the auto industry, there is a gap between the number of women in leadership and those who buy cars. Maintaining that discrepancy is risky because it shows a lack of innovation when serving the market.

Marissa Topp is the sales and finance manager at Eagle Country Ford in Sidney, Montana. Marissa grew up in Sidney and graduated from Sidney High School in 2003. She went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota-Crookston with a bachelor’s degree in hotel, restaurant and institutional management with an emphasis in resort and spa.

Tonya House has been the owner of Beartooth Ford in Columbus, Montana, for the past 22 years. Her tenacity and drive have made her a trailblazer in this male‑dominated industry.

Ashley Wolfe is a fourth-generation owner and operator of the Wolfe Automotive Group. In an industry historically dominated by men, Ashley is one of only a handful of women who operate an automotive dealership, let alone an automotive group.

The Montana Motor Vehicle Division’s (MVD) implementation of the Credentialing and Registration System (CARS) is part of a multi-phase, multi-year effort to improve customer service and efficiency for Montanans. The first two phases — online scheduling and driver services — have already been rolled out, and the results are incredible. The feedback from the 76,000+ customers is overwhelmingly favorable.

The event that began 28 years ago with Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry has moved into the 80s and 90s with Sugar Ray. McConkey Auction Group announced the iconic international headliner will perform during DAA Northwest’s July 17-18 Rock & Roll Sale. The private event for customers and guests has featured The Doobie Brothers, Heart, Barenaked Ladies, and many more on the DAA Stage.

To see the award winners: https://enter.amcpros.com/marcom/winners/

The battle lines are being drawn across the nation in the ongoing kerfuffle between the OEMs and the dealer body over the use of the dealer’s retail labor time guide for warranty work.
“The bill is going to create hundreds of millions of dollars in costs every single year. That cost is going to get passed on to consumers.”
— David Bright, Alliance For Automotive Innovation, is quoted in a March 29, 2024, New York Focus article by Chris Bragg and Julia Rock about a pending bill allowing the use of the dealer’s retail LTG for warranty work in New York.

Fellow dealers,
During the course of 2023, while serving as NADA vice chairman, I was very fortunate to have gotten the opportunity to visit many states and engage in discussions with many dealers and dealer representatives about both the national and individual state-level issues they were facing.